GRAND Magazine - November/December 2019 - 7

entertainment

Sesame Workshop helps kids face parental addiction

n the United States, there are 5.7 million children under age 11,
or one in eight children, living in households with a parent who
has a substance use disorder-a number that doesn't include
the countless children not living with a parent due to separation
or divorce, incarceration, or death as a result of their addiction.
One in three of these children will enter foster care due to parental addiction, a number that has grown by more than 50% in the
past decade. The trauma of parental addiction can have lasting
impacts on a child's health and wellbeing, but children can be
incredibly resilient; the effects of traumatic experiences can be
mitigated with the right support from caring adults.
Sesame Street has always been a source of comfort to children during the toughest of times, and now they have a new
Muppet, Karli-whose mother struggles with addiction. Created
in consultation with experts in addiction and early childhood
development, these engaging bilingual resources model
strategies to help children overcome the trauma of parental
addiction. Most important, they help build resilience, while providing age-appropriate messages and tools for those caring
adults to help children cope.
Sesame Workshop, is the nonprofit educational organization
behind Sesame Street. The initiative features Karli, a 6 1/2-yearold. In new videos and other content, favorite Sesame Street characters like Elmo
and Abby Cadabby learn what Karli is going through and help their friend to
cope. The resources, which are part of the Sesame Street in Communities program and freely available on www.SesameStreetinCommunities.org, deliver
the words children need to hear most: You are not alone. You will be taken care
of. Addiction is a sickness and, as with any sickness, people need help to get better.
And most importantly: It's not your fault.
Karli was first introduced in May 2019 as the face of the Sesame Street in
7 GRAND

Nov-Dec 2019

Communities foster care initiative. Karli's storyline expands to include the
reason she was placed in foster care: her mother had to go away for treatment,
but now she's in recovery. The new resources, which help children like Karli
understand the situation and cope with big feelings, include:
* What is Addiction?: Elmo's dad, Louie, explains that addiction is a sickness-but not the kind you catch like a cold.
* Lending a Hand: Karli tells Elmo and Chris about her mom's meetings and
the special kids-only meetings where she gets to spend time with other children
going through the same thing.
Continued on next page

https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://www.twitter.com/grandMmagazine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcyI8xXKfT4 https://www.sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/parental-addiction/ https://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-room/press-releases/sesame-workshop-launches-new-initiative-support-children-foster-care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inoeW5BZJvg http://www.sesamestreetincommunities.org/ https://www.youtu.be/5pfuEqGhREA

GRAND Magazine - November/December 2019

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